Report to Members
By Mary Jo Mullan and Frank Sanchez, Co-Chairs

As members gathered in San Francisco for the annual conference of Neighborhood Funders Group (NFG), we were particularly pleased with the enthusiasm and turnout for this event. The planning committee spent countless hours determining how best to engage NFG members in a dialogue about the role foundations should play in reducing poverty, building strong neighborhoods, and establishing prosperous communities. Our conference theme, A More Perfect Union: Charting a Strategy for Economic Justice, challenged grant makers to examine their strategies for successful wealth creation, and their methods for engaging low-income citizens and making them more active in the public policy process.

The conference plenary opened with Henry Cisneros, Chairman and CEO of American CityVista and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, along with Tammy Draut, Associate Director of the Common Wealth Project at Demos. Based on their unique perspectives and experiences, both examined the role of government in shaping policies that affect economic inequality, in addition to identifying strategies for leveraging support for these policies.

Conference attendees experienced a rare educational opportunity during this meeting. At the invitation of NFG leadership, and acting on behalf of roofers in Arizona, union organizers joined the roofers to address the conference participants - explaining the challenges and issues faced by many low-wage earners across the country. The sheer scope of this problem and the complexity of potential resolutions became apparent after the roofers shared their impressive stories of struggle and determination. We would like to thank the leadership from the Working Group on Labor and Community for their guidance and continued support of individuals adversely affected by unfair labor practices in this country.

We also have received many positive comments about the learning tours offered during the conference. A full day pre-conference tour to California's Central Valley introduced participants to the Central Valley Partnership for Citizenship - an effort that assists immigrants with the naturalization process and encourages their increased participation in daily civic life.

From youth empowerment to social entrepreneurship, to comprehensive community development, attendees spent Friday morning visiting community-based organizations in the San Francisco Bay area. Each tour provided participants with an opportunity to meet local leaders who specialized in community organizing, employment, housing, immigration, and neighborhood revitalization programs.

We applaud the work of conference workshop organizers. Each session - ranging from home ownership to public/private partnerships - supported the theme. Presenters provided fresh ideas and lessons learned to assist funders in improving the work of their organizations. Many participants commented that they found it difficult to select a single session to attend, given so many excellent options.

Finally, the closing session featured Peter Edelman of the Georgetown University Law Center. During his speech, Peter outlined how community groups can take a more active role in building public participation and what foundations can do to support such efforts. Gloria Cooper of the Pacific Institute for Community Organizing (PICO), and Deepak Bhargava of the National Campaign for Jobs and Income Support, spoke about their respective campaigns to increase awareness and win substantial policy changes at the state and national levels. Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Western Regional Office, closed the discussion with his reflections on the role of organized labor in building the public's will to enact policy changes that benefit the working poor and low-income communities.

NFG experienced its highest-ever conference participation at this meeting. Based on the evaluations, the committee successfully challenged and stimulated the conference goers. Thanks to all of the members listed on page 6 for their hard work. Special thanks to Sara Gould, conference chair. We extend our deep appreciation for the grants, sponsorships and support we received for this conference. Your various contributions made this event a tremendous success, and we hope to continue making substantial progress in the fight to promote economic justice.

To those who were unable to attend the conference, you missed a real treat. We would like to encourage all of our members to begin making plans now to attend Part II of this conference to be held November 1-3, 2002 in Washington, DC, chaired by Peter Beard, Fannie Mae Foundation.

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